


“Aren’t You Tired of Being the Good Guy?”

by meme_tortoise



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Banger last words, F/M, Female Antagonist, Female Protagonist, Lorenz slander, Murder, Revenge, bye bye Leonie, rip Ignatz glasses, rip Jay lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-27 22:07:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30129522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meme_tortoise/pseuds/meme_tortoise
Summary: Following the time skip, two original female characters, Emmeline “E” Von Minaj and Paulina Von Zephyr from the fan made house the Iris Serpents, discover that their canon character boyfriends have died in the war, sending them down a dark path.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Original Female Character(s), Claude von Riegan/Original Female Character(s), Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3
Collections: The House of The Iris Serpents





	1. Your Average High School Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU, Claude and Dimitri have been reported dead, and are not at the monastery upon arrival like they are in the story.

The entrance hall of the monastery was bustling with commotion. On this day, 5 years ago, the war began, and it had gone completely downhill from there. 

5 years ago, at the start of the conflict, the Iris Serpents house returned home to Septen for their own diplomatic safety. The nation had collectively decided to remain neutral in the war. This was good for the people in Septen, but not as good for the Serpents. The lifelong bonds they had made with people at the monastery were severed when people began to take sides. In an effort to abstain from the war as much as possible, all contact with anyone in Fodlan was forbidden. Septen was small compared to Fodlan, and taking the wrong side in this war could lead to its demise. 

Along the course of the 5 years, however, there were a few times where messages were received regarding the war. Unfortunately, they were far from ideal. Emmeline Von Minaj, a minor noble, received two letters over the years. 

The first being from Empress Edelgard, asking for her assistance in the war. This letter was burned immediately, and written off as never making it to the Minaj residence. Many of the Serpents had received letters like this, but it was no use, and Septen remained neutral. The rest of the Serpents had no contact other than that letter. All of the Serpents except Emmeline.

She remembered the day, engraved into her mind, forced to remember the ink on the paper every time she shut her eyes. It was a Death Notification Letter from the kingdom, or what was left of it. Someone was aware of her close relationship with the prince, and found a way to notify her of his cruel fate. She didn’t leave her house for weeks after receiving that letter. She refused any company, any suitors, even maids in the estate. No one had seen her until she finally let herself out of her barricade. After that, her bright and cheery attitude was gone forever. 

That same attitude was commonly seen in Lina over the time skip, who had received no word from Claude. She came to the reunion less optimistic than from her days at the monastery, but her excitement to be reunited with her love drove her to come. When the Iris Serpents arrived at the monastery after their long journey, they dispersed immediately, running into the arms of friends, lovers, even people who they weren’t too fond of from their school days. They were just happy everyone was alive… or so they thought. 

Paulina and Emmeline stood together, Emmeline staring at the rubble of the school and Paulinas head darting around, looking for a certain alliance leader. She watched as Juliette was reluctantly swung around by Sylvain, or Celeste almost squeezing the life out of Felix. She continued to look as Hilda walked up to her, looking almost sickly… no… afraid.

More eyes fell on the pair as Hilda pulled out a small envelope, and held it for a moment. The letter had “Lina” written on it in beautiful cursive writing. “What’s wrong, Hilda, what happened?” Her voice cracked as she said that, expecting the worst. As Hilda held onto the envelope, Lina’s mind began to race, wondering what could be in that letter. Could the Iris Serpents be fugitives for not helping in the war? Could the Alliance and the Kingdom be losing? Could Claude have-

Her thoughts were cut short as Hilda shoved the letter into her hands, tears streaming down her face. Hilda sprinted away when she grabbed it, and her hands were shaking as she opened it. Emmeline stood next to her still, deadpan, peering over her shoulder to read the contents of the letter. Her expression barely changed when she made it to the bottom, but her eyes widened every so slightly. Lina, however, was in a state of shock. 

Tears streamed down her face as fast as lightning and yet, she was completely silent. She reread the letter, over and over and over. She couldn’t believe what she was reading. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” She yelled. It was all she could manage before choking on her tears. 

She crumpled up the letter and threw it to the ground. She was filled with rage now, and looked up to see solemn faces. No one was laughing and a few people had started crying as well, reminded of the crude reality of the situation. She turned and sprinted further into the monastery.

Emmeline didn’t move as she ran off, she didn’t even turn her head to follow her movement. Finally, after a few moments, she reached down and grabbed the letter, putting it into her pocket and looking up to see the other students. 

Sylvain let go of Juliette and she tried to run after Lina, but Emmelines hand shot out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned her head slowly to look at Juliette, who’s worried face was replaced with a slight expression of fear. “I think you’re the last person she’d want to see right now.” 

Juliettes expression switched again, now full of shock. Eyes wide and mouth gaping, until finally she could muster up “She’s my best friend! I can help her with-” 

She couldn’t even finish her explanation before Emmeline cut her off, “What?” She said mockingly, “Do you plan to offer her relationship advice? You have no idea what she’s going through. You’d make things worse.” As she said this, she released her grip on her arm and turned in the direction Lina ran, leaving Juliette with tears in her eyes and the rest of the students shocked by her out of character behavior.

Emmeline walked for a few moments before hearing faint sobs. She followed the noise until she made it to the balcony next to the cemetery. Lina was sitting on the edge of the cobble fence, knees to her chest. Emmeline watched in silence as she swung her legs over, her hands now gripping the stone for stability, turning her knuckles white. 

“Don’t be an idiot.” Emmelines voice startled Lina, causing her to lose her grip on the fence and slip over the side. 

Time seemed to stop as Lina fell off of the fence, heart racing. Her life flashed before her eyes, but it wasn’t nearly long enough. She didn't mean for this to happen, she just wanted a place to be alone. She tried to scream but she couldn’t, she couldn’t get air into her lungs. 

Her eyes squeezed shut as time started to speed up again. However, instead of the feeling of crashing into rocks in the bottom of the abyss, she felt a hand grab her wrist, pulling her back to reality. The hand also pulled her back onto solid land. The tears stopped, but her heart was still racing. 

Finally, she lifted her head and saw Emmeline, and embraced her immediately. The hug was one sided, but Lina just needed someone. Through shaky breaths she managed “Please… I can’t be alone again…” 

Emmeline placed a hand on her head, still not hugging her back, “We can be alone together,” she paused, letting Lina collect her thoughts. 

Finally, Lina stood back up, wiping her face and clearing her throat, “Thank you, E, I didn’t mean to I swear I just-” 

Emmeline raised a finger to Linas mouth, stopping her halfway, “I don’t need an explanation. I know exactly what you’re going through. It sucks, doesn't it? Surrounded by people who call you a friend, but can’t even muster up the courage to tell you the love of your life is dead.” 

The last word rang in Linas ears, taunting her. She brought her hands up and grabbed her air, still in denial. 

Emmeline raised her hands and placed them on hers, smoothing her hands before they could rip her hair out. “I’m sorry, Lina, but he’s dead. There’s no use denying it. You didn’t deserve this.” Her voice was calm and soothing, and Linas arms relaxed. 

Her arms fell to her sides as Emmeline slowly moved her hands to cup Linas face, lifting it up to meet her eyes. “But you also deserved to know in person, didn’t you? It’s cruel they chose to torture you, after all of your loss already. He was the love of your life and all they could muster up was a lousy letter?” 

Linas breaths steadied and her face was relaxing, the fear in her eyes being replaced with confusion. She thought about what Emmeline was telling her. “They thought cute script hand writing could make up for their stupid war stripping you of what you loved most…” she paused briefly, “It’s their fault, isn’t it?” 

Lina stopped, eyes wide and staring into Emmelines, she slowly raised a hand to meet the ones cupping her face. “No… they didn’t have a choice about the war… right?” Linas voice was shaky and low as she said this. 

Emmelines lips curled into a devil's smile. She let out a small chuckle as she continued, “We had a choice didn’t we? Everything can be settled with diplomacy. They chose to try and be heroes, to be the protagonists of their own story.” 

Lina looked away from Emmeline as she listened, but the cold hands cupping her face jerked it back, causing Lina to stare into Emmelines eyes. 

Emmeline spoke once more, and the words shot through Lina like an arrow. They echoed in her ears over and over as Emmeline walked away, 

“Aren’t you tired of being the good guy?”


	2. One Down, Ninety Nine to Go

It had been a week since the Iris Serpents had arrived at the monastery. Ever since Emmeline saved Lina, they were always found together. When they weren’t training, they went back to their dorms. People would whisper, and rumors began to spread.

“I heard that Emmeline is a demon, and she picked Lady Paulina as her host!” Said an orphan who was living at the monastery.

“No way!” Replied a little girl in a similar situation, “I heard that Lady Paulina started seeing ghosts after Claude died and Emmeline is going to catch them!”

“That’s silly,” spat the little boy, “Everyone knows you can’t catch ghosts” 

Conversation like this was not uncommon these days. Of course, it was never within earshot of the pair. People were not scared of Lady Paulina as much as they were of Emmeline. Lina seemed in a constant state of paranoia, like there was something after her, or a secret she was afraid to share. 

However, since Emmeline had heard of Dimitris death all those months ago, this behavior was common. She would eat, train, then go to sleep. She would ignore anyone who tried to speak to her, and she would never show up to meetings among nobles back in Septen. 

The sun was setting on their first week back at the monastery, and Emmeline was in Lina’s old dormitory room. Lina was rereading the note of Claude's passing, fidgeting with the corner of the paper. She seemed nervous, but throughout the week the glimmer of life in her eyes had faded. Her eyes had a dull finish, and if it weren’t for the nervous fiddling with the paper, she’d appear emotionless. 

“You delivered the letter to Juliette’s dorm room, yes?” Emmeline broke the silence, and Lina raised her head away from the paper to look at her. 

She saw Emmeline staring out the window, watching the sun dip just below the horizon. “Yes, she should be meeting me at the training grounds at sunset. I told her I want to talk to her about Claude.” When she finished the sentence, she clutched the paper tighter, as if someone was about to take it from her. 

“Well, then we should get a move on.” She paused, then continued, “This is going to help us, alright Lina?” She turned to face her, and Lina stood up to receive the command. “They’ve hurt us, it’s all they ever wanted to do. We only have each other now, and they’re going to pay for making it that way.” 

Lina folded the paper as she said this, tucking it away in a hidden pocket, then giving a nod of affirmation. Any sign of nervousness as they made their way to the training grounds was gone. Her hands were still by her sides, and her expression was stone cold. 

When they arrived, the pair hesitated before the large doors. Lina glanced around, confirming no one was there to witness them enter. Finally, she pushed the door open and the girls stepped inside. There, Juliette was waiting. She heard the doors and spun as fast as she could. 

Her happy expression dropped as soon as she saw Emmeline, and took a step back. “Aww, you’re not happy to see me, loca?” Her lips were curled into the same devilish smile from that day by the abyss. Emmeline glanced over at Lina, and gave a simple motion with her hand, and nothing else. 

Before Juliette could even reply to Emmeline, Lina unsheathed her sword and changed at her. She was taken by complete surprise as she did this, barely moving out of the way of her deadly swing. “Lina! What are you doing?!” There was desperation and shock in her voice, and Lina ignored it. She continued to swing and swing until finally, she struck gold. 

After hearing a scream from Juliette, Lina pulled her sword back and saw blood begin to pour down her friends face. Juliette raised her hand up to feel the wound, and when she looked back at her hand it was scarlet red. She looked up at Lina, who’s eyes were wide as she started to second guess herself. 

However, a shout from Emmeline snapped her back to her duty, “Remember what you’ve gone through, and remember what you deserve!” Linas eyes melted into a glare as she raised her sword once more and lunged at Juliette. One thought raced through her mind the entire time, keeping her from second guessing the plan. “Aren’t you tired of being the good guy?” Echoed over and over again, pushing her to keep swinging her sword for what felt like hours. 

Juliette realized the gravity of the situation, and her focus was now to subdue the threat. That threat, unfortunately, was her lifelong best friend, who was trying to kill her. She raised her shaky, bloodstained hands and prepared her magic. 

Emmeline sat back and watched the room explode in a clash of scarlet, magic and the weapon of a master swordswoman. Her smirk hadn’t moved since the fight started. Even when it appeared Lina was losing, it was unfaltering. Her plan was being executed for her, perfectly. She’d finally get the revenge she deserved.

Juliette raised her hands to her face once more, holding on to the gash made from Ventariti, her relic. “Lina, please” her voice was but a squeak among the commotion. “I beg of you to stop this!” Lina lunged at her once more, and Juliette shot back with a poorly aimed cutting gale attack. 

Lina planted her feet and adjusted her fighting stance. Her expression was still stone cold, but now she was covered in bruises and small burns from the magic. Her voice was grim and deep as she looked Juliette in her desperate eyes, “Then beg.” 

Following this, she lunged at her one final time, implanting the sword into Juliette‘s abdomen. She stumbled backward from the force, and grabbed her stomach in shock, her mouth gaping and eyes wide. Lina pulled the sword out and Juliette fell to the ground, landing on her back. 

A single tear fell from Linas eye as she kneeled down by her friend's side. She placed one hand under her head and the other gripping Juliette’s hand. She was not gripping back, however. She didn’t have the strength to. All she could muster up was a weak, shaky, “Why?” 

One more tear fell from Linas eye as she held her dying best friend in her arms. She could feel her life slipping away, and the pool of blood beneath her only grew. “I had to, you hurt me, Juliette, and I can’t forgive you for that. You took Claude away from me!” The sorrow melted into anger as Juliette’s eyes fluttered, barely able to stay open. 

All she had the energy to do was raise her bloody hand up to Linas face. She held it there as long as she could, before pushing out one last, “No…” as her life finally slipped away. As it did, her hand dragged gently down Linas face, leaving a smudged, bloody handprint on her cheek. 

Lina wanted to sob as she held her friend's lifeless body cradled in her arms. However, before she got the chance, she heard a slow clapping. She looked up, and her eyes met with Emmelines, who had a newfound glimmer in them. “Beautiful work, darling. I must applaud you.” Lina choked like she was about to burst into tears, and Emmeline continued, “Save those tears for people who deserve them. Cry for Claude, not for the girl who took him away.” 

Lina heard this, and her sad expression was quickly replaced with anger once more. She let go of Juliette’s body and pushed it into the pool of blood left behind. She stood up, covered in the same substance. “Alright, what do we do next? Ill do anything if it’s to avenge Claude.” 

Emmeline walked up to her and tucked a stray strand of Lina's hair behind her ear, “He would’ve wanted this. He would’ve wanted revenge.” Lina heard this and smiled, gullible to every lie she told. “Next step, take out the rest of them. We’ll rid the world of the sinners, one at a time.” 

The bloodied girls made their way out of the training grounds. The sun was already starting to rise when they walked out, and Lina stared out at the horizon, expressionless. “We have our work cut out for us, don’t we Lady Paulina?” 

“Yes… yes we do.”


	3. Lorenz Slander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING THIS CHAPTER IS GRAPHIC. There are countless graphically described deaths because this is about murder. PLEASE be advised

The attitudes of the girls had changed drastically since last night. Lina had gone from being a depressed, nervous wreck to a deadpan, stone faced killer. Emmeline had made a completely different change, however. Her deadpan, monotone attitude was replaced by an uncomfortable happiness. A giddy smile was glued to her face as they made their way to the dormitories. 

“This is our big day, Lina, if we can take out people before they wake up they won’t even have time to beg!” Her voice was a little too excited, considering the situation. 

Lina looked out at the stairs leading to the bedrooms, and tried to feel anything. Regret, sadness, even the strange happiness Emmeline was feeling… but there was nothing. Now see was just an empty murderous husk, following the orders of her only friend left. As Emmeline dragged her to the stairs, she stopped once more. “We’re friends right, E?” 

Emmeline looked over, devilish smile unwavering, “Oh doll, I’m your only friend left. I’m the only person left alive who hasn’t left you for dead.” The annunciation on the word “dead” scared Lina into climbing the stairs again. She continued as they climbed the stairs, “Were in the same boat, were all we have left!” Once again, her cheery tone seemed unfitting, and Lina walked a little faster. 

Finally they made it to the top of the stairs. Lina turned to look down the hallway. She was faced with a long row of wooden doors, an old student sleeping behind each one. “Are we staying together?” Lina whispered, careful so her voice wouldn’t echo down the hallway. 

“Yep, but don’t worry,” she paused, smiling over at Lina, “I’ll let you do the heavy lifting. There’s just a few people I’d like to take care of. As she said this, she walked quietly over to the first door, gently pushing it open and waving Lina over in her direction. 

The pair tiptoed into the room and quickly shut the door. Ignatz was lying on the bed, fast asleep. Emmeline walked over and crushed his glasses while Lina slit his throat. “Easy start.” Whispered Emmeline, already leaving to move to the next room. The kills following that were similar: walk in, quick death, walk out. 

They cleared most of the Golden Deer house before making it to the last two rooms, Leonie and Lorenz. “These two are mine,” Emmeline whispered, “come and enjoy the show.” She winked and pushed open the big wooden door. 

The girls walked in the room and shut the door gently, that much hadn’t changed. However, Lina’s eyes shot open when she heard Emmeline say “Wake her up.” 

“What?” Lina was shocked, her whisper aggressive enough to get her point across. 

Emmelines expression dropped and she looked mad, almost disappointed. “I’m not helping you for you to question me. Wake her up, then kill her. She deserves to be alive and in pain when she dies.” She finished and turned to face a peaceful Leonie, fast asleep and blissfully ignorant. 

Lina unsheathed her sword and slowly creeped over to the unconscious girl. She gently shook her awake, and her eyes fluttered. “Lina..?” Her voice was small and she was obviously still half asleep. She looked around the room and saw Emmeline, and her eyes shot open. She shot her hand out quickly to try and grab her hunting dagger, but it was gone. 

Leonie glanced up at Emmeline, who was weaving it around her fingers, a smile on her face once again. “Oh I'm sorry, were you looking for this, Leone?” Her voice was taunting as she continued to spin around Leonies priceless possession. 

“You’re insane.” Leonies voice was hoarse and she was still obviously tired. The exhaust didn’t stop her from trying to lunge at Emmeline, but what did stop her was the sword now impaled in her stomach. 

Leonie's face, full of shock and betrayal, sent Emmeline into a laughing fit. It was a quiet, sinister laughter that gave Lina chills. She didn’t let it show, however. She didn’t know what Emmeline would do. The laughter finally stopped, followed by a “Wasn‘t that fun, Lina?” Lina glanced over at Leonies now lifeless body, her face still full of shock, just not full of life. Her blood was slowly spilling out into her bed and all Lina could do was stare for a moment, then turn away. 

The genuine excitement in Emmeline’s voice got a forced laugh from Lina, “Yeah…” Emmeline let out a sigh to calm herself down, and started to move toward the door. Lina watched her, reading her body language. She was completely relaxed, still carrying Leonies dagger. She had done this in some of the other rooms, too. From Hilda, a silver necklace from her brother, and from Lysithea, a book that she was seen reading frequently. Lina wasn‘t sure why she took them, but at this point she was afraid to ask. 

They walked out and directly into Lorenz’s room, not even checking to see if anyone was in the hallway. They were working quickly, but people would be up soon. 

They shut the door behind them, and Lina began to move over to take him up. She was stopped by Emmeline. When Lina looked at her face, there was no way to describe it but psychotic. Her smile could be compared to that of the Cheshire Cat, and her eyes were wide and glossy. There wasn’t a sane thought behind them.

She walked up to Lorenz and took out Leonies dagger. She shook him awake violently and he shot up, looking around. Finally, he was conscious enough to realize people were in his room, and he looked at Emmeline. “What is the meaning of this? A good noble needs his rest!” 

Emmeline straightened her back, tucked her hands behind her back and let out a raspy laugh. “The only thing a good noble needs is a knife in his skull.” After she said this, she revealed her hands to him and his face was painted with shock. Lina watched, stone cold, as she grabbed his chin, lifted it up to face her, and plunged the dagger into his skull. She took it out and his face was frozen in horror as blood spilled out. He toppled over on to the floor and was lying face up, lifeless. 

Emmeline stared for a short while, almost like she was assessing her work. Finally, Lina watched her walk over to where his usual outfit was. She took the blood covered dagger and ripped the rose decal off the lapel of the shirt. She put it in her pocket with her other trophies and walked out of the door, Lina in tow. 

“One house down, two to go.” Lina said, still emotionless. She was standing next to Emmeline, that damned smile still on her face. She lifted a hand and placed it on Linas head, stroking her hair for a moment before tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“Now you’re getting the hang of it, doll.”


	4. Let’s Go Find Glenn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING THIS CHAPTER IS GRAPHIC. There are countless graphically described deaths because this is about murder. PLEASE be advised

There was a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through the monastery. It was coming from outside. “Ah,” Emmeline spoke up, “it seems like they found our darling Juliette.” She was way too calm as she began her walk back to the beginning of the hallway, toward the stairs, Lina still in tow.

Emmeline hadn’t told her the next steps of the plan. When they returned to the monastery, they started plotting. But the plans were very vague, mostly along the lines of “Kill everyone, make them pay, avenge the ones they took from us.” It wasn’t exactly sustainable, and Lina was afraid to ask what followed. But her curiosity got the best of her and she spoke up. “E, what are we going to do after? I mean… we’re murderers.” 

They just arrived at the top of the stairs. It was in their best interests to get out of there immediately, but Emmeline stopped, and spun slowly on her heel to face Lina. “You’re the murderer, not me.” She was deadpan as she spoke. Lina's expression fell into shock as she continued, “I didn’t kill any one of those people… I didn’t even tell you to!” Lina was frozen as she slowly walked toward her, almost taunting, “You’re insane! All the poor lives you’ve taken, what would Claude think?” 

Lina was jittery now, and dropped her chin to look at her bloodstained hands. “No… no I wouldn’t!” She was shaking now, more violently, “This is what Claude wanted! That’s what you told me!” Emmeline gently grabbed Linas chin, lifting it back up and looking into her eyes for a few moments. 

Finally, she let out a small laugh. “You’re crazy, doll. I just wanted to help you cope, be the person I never had. Look at you now, walking around with trophies from your victims! You try and tell me that it wasn’t your idea.” Lina stared back for a moment before touching her empty pockets. However, they weren’t as empty as she thought. Her body froze as she felt objects in both of her pockets. The pit in her stomach grew more and more as she pulled out the trinkets. 

Tears fell from her face as she looked at a silver necklace with the crest of Goneril on it, a small book full of magic knowledge, and a bloodstained rose decal. “I didn’t… I wouldn’t…” Lina couldn't even force a full sentence, just confused ramblings. 

Emmeline placed her hands over the trinkets, turning Linas attention back to her. “You’re in deep doll, I mean… all those people dead, and it’s your fault? That can’t be easy for you.” As she spoke, she guided Linas hands back into her pockets, hiding the trinkets once more. She pulled her in and held her as she continued, “But it’s too late to turn back, isn’t it? There’s no way anyone would forgive you. You must finish the job now.” 

Dorm doors begin to open now, students rushing out into the hallway. The first students to emerge were the Iris Serpents, who ran up to the girls right away. Celie spoke up first, “Oh my Seiros!”

Lilac followed quickly, “Lina are you alright? We heard that scream!” 

Auryn reached over to rub Linas back to comfort her, but Emmeline stepped back slightly, pulling Lina with her. Auryn pulled her hand back, a little confused. Before she could question it out loud, Emmeline spoke up, “I think something happened to Juliette!” Lina winced, and felt like vomiting when she heard what sounded like genuine fear for Juliette in her voice, “You guys have to go check on her!” The other Serpents exchanged quick looks and ran past the girls, on their way to find their friend. 

When they left, Emmeline let go of Lina. She looked up at her and snuffled, sparking a smile from Emmeline. “You still have your work cut out for you. Remember, it’s too late to turn back.” Lina’s eyes fell, and she wiped any stray tears. 

She could hear members of the Blue Lions running out of the dorms, and sounds of crying. She took a deep breath and put on her stone cold mask once more. She turned around to face them, and she saw almost the entire house. 

Dimitri and Dedue were still missing from the war, but she was met with the shocked and disgusted faces from Sylvain, Ingrid, Mercedes, Annette, Felix and Ashe. Annette threw herself into Mercedes arms, sobbing, and Ashe turned away like he was about to vomit. Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix, however, all unsheathed these respective weapons. 

This prompted a laugh from Emmeline, who pulled out Leonies dagger and started twirling it around again. “You take those two, Lina, I’ll do you a favor and take the redhead,” her eyes were glaring at Sylvain, but her lips were curled into that signature smile, “I have a little bit of a bridge I need to burn with him.” 

Lina took one last deep breath before charging at Felix and Ingrid, probably the houses two strongest members still alive. “Not for long, anyway…” she thought as she intercepted a blow from Felix’s sword, and immediately turned to jab at Ingrid. 

This went on for a few minutes, but it felt like hours. Lina didn’t care, though. She was numb at this point. All she knew was what Emmeline told her. “It’s what Claude would’ve wanted” she repeated to herself over and over, deflecting attack after attack. Finally, she made a swing for Ingrid, but Ingrid moved, thrusting her spear. However, the attack missed Lina and went straight into Felix’s chest. Felix crumbled to his knees, Ingrid's relic stuck out of his chest. As she fell down to her knees in a panic, Lina brought her sword up and plunged it deep into her back, giving her and Felix matching stab wounds. 

At the same time, Emmeline was fighting with Sylvain, but it was less of a fight and more like pure taunting. Every time he would attack, she would weave in and out of them, not even trying to fight back. She was giggling like a schoolgirl and would occasionally insult him, “Y’know I never really liked you, especially back when I liked Juliette.” 

This got him to stop swinging for a moment, “What do you mean, ‘liked’ Juliette? She’s your friend!” He finished and jabbed at her once more.

She snickered, taking a step back to try and see his expression, “My friend? Who do you think killed her!? I’m not just covered in anyone’s blood.” 

His expression dropped and his hands shook, he looked her up and down and studied the blood she was coated in. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “I’ll kill you if you laid a finger on her!” 

He changed toward her, but he was getting sloppy. Emmeline ducked under his arm, raised Leonies dagger, and plunged it into the back of his neck. She pulled it out and he fell to his knees, grabbing his throat. 

She crouched down next to him, cackling, “Tell my darling Juliette I said ‘Hi’ when you see her!” She stood up, kicked him on to his side, and left him to perish. 

When she was done, she made her way over to Lina. She stared down at Felix and Ingrid and watched their life slowly fade. “This is getting boring, and we have to find where the others ran off to.” Emmeline pulled the spear from Felix’s chest and stood up. 

“Ingrid I.. Damn it! Can't see...anything” Felix’s voice was strained and he was hunched over. 

“Felix…Glenn...I'll see you soon. Death isn't sad, not...really.” Ingrid's voice was quiet, and she rolled onto her back. As they both took their final breaths, Emmeline dropped Ingrid’s relic. She picked up Felix’s sword and hung Leonies dagger from her belt. She was silent as she stepped over the bodies, Lina in tow. 

They began pushing open every dorm door until they found where the rest of the Blue Lions were hiding. Inside Dedue’s old room, Mercedes and Annette stood together, Ashe standing in front of them, bow docked and ready for fire. As soon as the door opened, he fired the arrow and it flew. His hands were so shaky that it missed its target and flew into the door. 

Felix’s sword in hand, Emmeline walked up to Ashe. He tried to lunge at her and swing a punch but she ducked out of the way. His follow through was met with Lina, who grabbed his wrist and yanked him to the ground. Emmeline pinned him to the ground, “I got him, take care of those two.” 

She turned to face Annette and Mercedes, whose arms were raised, ready to use their magic. The battle didn't last long. Annette used dark magic, so she had more offensive attacks, while Mercedes continued to heal her. In the end, it was still no use. Lina hadn’t broken her stone cold expression since she put it on. Even as she impaled her sword into their torsos. 

She turned back to Ashe and Emmeline as their bodies slowly fell to the floor. His face was painted with fear and Emmeline had a tight grip on his chin. He was pinned to the ground using his own arrows, and was struggling to get free. Lina looked up at Emmeline, slightly puzzled, unsure why he was still alive. 

Emmeline had a giddy smile on, “This is the best part, Doll!” She turned her attention back toward the scared orphan, “Were giving you the luxury of last words,” she had a sadistic look on her face, the most Lina had ever seen. “Out with it, Ashe!” 

His voice shook as he managed to spit out the start of a sentence. “Please… tell Auryn-” Emmeline didn’t let him finish before plunging the sword down into his throat. His death was almost instant, and his face was frozen in horror. Blood began to spill out onto the carpet and she looked up at Lina. 

Something had changed in her, she didn’t know what was wrong. Whether it was fear, or adrenaline, she gave Emmeline a weak smile back. 

She stood up and offered her hand to Lina, and she took it without hesitation. 

“That’s my girl.”


End file.
